southwest stuffed bell peppers

A recent clear sign that I'm feeling fully settled in the new house and new city: I signed up for a local CSA. This means that every Tuesday, a box will arrive at our doorstep filled with fresh fruits and vegetables from local farms. The first delivery arrived last week with a wide variety of mouthwatering contents: nectarines, baby bok choy (yummm), romaine lettuce, beets, 3 heads of garlic, an avocado, carrots (from Coachella!) and two beautiful green bell peppers.

I love getting a box full of surprises each week. Even though I'm pretty adventurous at the grocery store and farmers' market, inevitably the box contains something (or sometimes, a number of things) that I likely would not have considered buying. This often leads to meals that I otherwise likely would not have thought to make. I love that sort of inspiration and the "outside of the box" thinking (pun intended!) it pushes me to partake in.

The challenge last week was that it had slipped my mind that the box was coming when we grocery shopped the weekend prior. Which left us with more than normal amounts of produce. Not a bad problem to have, but I had to get creative to ensure nothing went to waste. So, while the green bell peppers were beautiful, I had to figure out a good way to put them to use along with the red and yellow bell peppers I'd picked up at the grocery store. Enter stuffed peppers.

Before the box arrived, one of the week's dinner dishes in my head involved squash and black beans. I decided to repurpose these, plus some other ingredients I had on hand, into a southwestern pepper stuffing.

We ate two of the peppers hot out of the oven with a big side salad. The remaining two went directly into the freezer, to be rebaked at a later date, so that we could refocus our energies on eating the rest of our veggies over the remainder of the week!

Southwest Stuffed Bell Peppers
Serves 4

4 bell peppers, tops cut off and seeds removed (I chopped the tops and threw them in our salad)
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 red onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small jalepeno, seeded and minced
a sprig of fresh oregano, chopped
2 Tbsp. cumin
2 bottleneck squash, diced
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed well
1 1/2 cups cooked brown rice
1/2 cup salsa
1/2 cup cheese, shredded (I would have used monterey jack if I had it, but in this case used the cheddar we had on hand)
sour cream (for topping, if desired)

Heat a large pot of water over high heat until boiling. Add peppers and boil 4 minutes. Remove carefully with tongs (another good use for the instrument I didn't see the need for but Randy convinced me were essential) to drain on a paper towel.


Heat 1 Tbsp. olive oil in a medium pan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and saute until translucent. Add oregano and cumin, stirring to coat. Add jalepeno and cook 1 min. Add squash. Cook 2 minutes, until squash just starts to become tender. Remove from heat.

In a large bowl, mix squash mix together with beans, rice, and salsa.

Use the remaining 1 Tbsp. of olive oil to oil the bottom of a glass baking dish. Fill each pepper with the squash-bean-rice mixture and place in baking dish, open side up. Top with grated cheese.

Bake in a 350-degree oven for 30 minutes. Serve hot, topped with sour cream. Enjoy!

vegetable salsa

The bounty I returned home with from the farmers' market today included a bunch of beautiful tomatoes. While playing in the garden in the afternoon, I realized I also had a bunch of beautiful tomatoes ready to be picked from my tomato plant.

One tomato harvest, a walk through the around the block to forage a lime from a neighbor's tree (thanks, JR!) and lots of chopping later, I have transformed my beautiful tomatoes (a mix of those from the market and my own) into a beautiful salsa.

I am planning to turn this salsa into our meal this evening by serving it on beans & rice and topping it with sliced avocado. Speaking of which, I'm getting hungry...

Vegetable Salsa

Makes about 4 cups

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 c. onion, minced

1 jalapeno, seeded & minced

1 red bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped

kernels from 1 ear of corn (cooked)

2-3 c. tomatoes, finely diced

1/2 c. cilantro, chopped

juice of 1 lime

1 tsp. olive oil*

1/2 tsp. cumin

sea salt & white pepper to taste

*Olive oil increases the absorption of lycopene, a powerful antioxidant found in tomatoes.

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Mix well. Allow to sit for at least 30 minutes before eating to allow flavors to meld. Enjoy!

garlicky mediterranean pasta

Interestingly, eliminating a number of food groups (I'm on day 6 of a 4-week cleanse, which in a nutshell, means I've cut dairy, meat, and anything including wheat or sugar from my diet) has manifested in me eating a greater variety of food. Peculiar, right?

I think because I'm restricting my intake to primarily fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, I'm getting more creative with the combinations. Particularly at evening meals, I find I'm combining many more vegetables in a single dish than I typically would. The blooming garden and recent trips to the farmers' markets have definitely played into this. At the farmers' market, I go without a list and pick up anything that catches my eye (which is typically a lot of different things - so much is in season locally right now!). Back home in the kitchen, it becomes a sort of exciting puzzle to figure out how to put it all together. The following is one of the palate-pleasing culinary adventures I found myself on earlier this week. Here's what I did:

Garlicky Mediterranean Pasta

Serves 2

4 oz. penne pasta*

3 Tbsp. olive oil

1/2 c. yellow onion, chopped

3 large cloves garlic, minced

2 Tbsp. fresh oregano, chopped

1 tsp. red chili flakes

1/2 red bell pepper, chopped

1 handful cherry or grape tomatoes, halved

1 handful mushrooms, quartered

1 handful spinach

1/4 c. kalamata olives, pitted & halved

1/4 c. artichoke hearts marinated in olive oil, drained

pine nuts

*I used rice pasta, since I'm avoiding gluten at the moment.

Cook pasta according to directions. Drain and set aside.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and garlic; saute until just beginning to soften, about 3 minutes. Add oregano and chili flakes. Stir and cook 1 minute. Add pepper and cook until crisp tender. Add tomatoes and mushrooms. Cook 1 minute. Add pasta, spinach, olives, and artichoke hearts stir and cook until heated through and spinach is beginning to welt. Serve topped with pine nuts.

One year ago: veggie fajitas

quinoa salad with greek yogurt dressing

Happy 4th of July!

I am looking forward to participating in the requisite independence day activity: the BBQ. Having lived in Texas, we are well-equipped with a Texas-sized BBQ, which means the day's festivities (friends + food + drinks) will take place at our house. This is our first 4th of July in our new home and I'm excited to find out whether we'll be able to see any of the peninsula's fireworks shows tonight from our front porch that overlooks the bay.

The weather is whole-heartedly cooperating: I awoke to bright sunshine and 70 degrees at 8am this morning, and it's looking like we could hit 90 degrees this afternoon. Perfect BBQ weather.

Our menu for the day (some of which I'll post over the coming week) includes: watermelon, grapes and figs, chips and crudites with homemade salsa, guac, and bean dip, quinoa salad with greek yogurt dressing, rootbeer baked beans, teriyaki kabobs, burgers, and chocolate crackle cookies from Grandma Francis' cookbook. I'm making a pitcher of mohitos to supplement our beer and wine selection. My mouth is watering just thinking about it all!

Though most of it still needs to be prepared...

One dish that is already done is the quinoa salad, which I made last night. This was a case where no recipe came into play and it all started out with a single inspiring ingredient: eggplant (somewhat ironically, as the eggplant ended up playing a relatively minor role in the resulting dish). I had some leftover from a salad I'd made earlier in the week and was pondering what to do with it. I was initially thinking about something in the garbanzo bean/quinoa/curry direction, but the weather was far too warm yesterday to want to consume anything hot. So I went in the cold-salad-quinoa direction instead, with a Greek twist.

JR and I ate the quinoa salad for dinner last night, but this is definitely going to be one of those dishes that is better on the second day, giving the flavors an opportunity to meld. The mix of bright colors means varied vitamin content - a beautiful and healthy dish! Here's what I did:

Quinoa Salad with Greek Yogurt Dressing

Serves 6-8

Salad:

1 c. quinoa

2 Tbsp. olive oil

2 c. eggplant, cubed

1 15-oz. can garbanzo beans, rinsed & drained

2 cucumbers, chopped*

2 tomatoes, chopped

1 bell pepper, seeded & chopped

15 kalamata olives, quartered

2 c. baby spinach

1 Tbsp. mint, chopped

3 oz. feta, crumbled, plus more to top

*If the skin is bitter, peel the cucumber.

Greek yogurt dressing:

3 Tbsp. greek yogurt

1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar

1 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 Tbsp. mint leaves, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

salt & white pepper to taste

Cook the quinoa according to directions. Set aside and let cool.

Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add eggplant and cook until tender and beginning to brown, about 8 minutes. Allow to cool.

Make yogurt dressing by whisking together ingredients in a small bowl.

In a large bowl, combine garbanzo beans, cucumber, tomatoes, pepper, olives, spinach, mint, feta, and cooled quinoa and eggplant. Add dressing and stir well to combine. Cover and chill in fridge at least one hour (ideally overnight). Serve in individual bowls, topped with additional feta.

In other exciting news, my tomato plant in the garden has it's first red tomato! I discovered it yesterday. This means we'll soon be overrun with fresh tomatoes, which I'm very much looking forward to.

Happy holiday! Stay tuned for postings on our other BBQ dishes in the coming week.

One year ago: gluten-free sugar cookies

spicy vegetable chili

I'm continuing the trend you've seen posted this week on veggie-packed meals. Weeks 2 and 3 of the cleanse I'm currently undertaking call for 70% of the food I intake to be in the form of raw vegetables. Given that I'm in Washington state at the moment and it's 40 degrees and raining, the thought of 70% raw fruits and veggies is a little bone chilling. So I'm cutting myself some slack. I'm not going to concede on the 70% vegetable part, but am going to try to be ok with the fact that they are mostly going to be, well, cooked. It's a compromise I'm willing to live with (at least until I get back to Cali, where it's a little warmer).

I wasn't planning on such a spicy chili, but it turns out that a little chipotle in adobo sauce goes a long way. I used 2 about tablespoons, and would consider the result to be on the spicy side of medium. Any more and you'll have some serious spice on your hands. Reduce it if you aren't a spice lover (but think about making it available on the side if you are feeding anyone who might want to increase the heat in their bowl).

Spicy Vegetable Chili

Makes a very big pot of chili

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1 yellow onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 red bell pepper, chopped

3 stalks celery, chopped

1 handful mushrooms, chopped

2 Tbsp. chipotles in adobo sauce, finely chopped

2 Tbsp. chili powder

1 Tbsp. cumin

1 tsp. oregano

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

1/4 tsp. white pepper

1 28-oz. can diced tomatoes (with liquid)

4 c. kidney beans, cooked & drained*

2 c. small red beans, cooked & drained*

2 c. water

*I used dried beans for my version, but if you're looking for a shortcut, canned beans will work as well. Just make sure they are rinsed well to reduce the salt that is added in the canning process.

Heat oil in a large pot over medium low heat. Add onions and garlic. I like to chop my way through the other ingredients, adding them to the pot as they are chopped and stirring occasionally. Once you've added all of the produce, increase heat to medium. Stir and cook a few minutes until the vegetables are tender. Add chipotles in adobo and spices. Stir and cook 1 minute.

Add tomatoes, beans, and water. Stir well. Allow to cook together, partially covered, over low heat as long as you can (at least an hour to give the flavors a chance to meld). As with most stews, this will be even better on the second day. It also freezes well if you don't think you can make your way through the leftovers.

This chili with a kick provided the perfect internal warmth on a damp Northwest day.

One year ago: sweet & spicy roasted kabocha squash

slow cooked veggie packed tomato sauce

When I told my mom I was making vegetable pasta, she pictured pasta with vegetables. But instead, I decided to incorporate the veggies into the sauce. I had a free afternoon on my hands, so I filled it with chopping and cooking (some of my favorite pastimes). What resulted was a delicious and nutrient-packed sauce. Before we get to the recipe, let's take a look at the nutritional benefits of the main components:*

*Sources: A Complete Guide to Nutritional Health & whfood.org

Onion: Onions are a rich source of flavonoids, substances known to provide protection against cardiovascular disease. They help the body's metabolism by lowering blood cholesterol, blood fat, and blood sugar. They are a natural antibiotic and contain vitamins A, B, C, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, sulfur compounds, bioflavonoids, and essential oils. The high concentration of sulfides in onions provide protection against tumor growth, especially that associated with stomach cancer.

Red Bell Pepper: Red bell peppers contain high amounts of vitamins A and C and, like most other vibrantly colored fruits and vegetables, are packed with antioxidants. Antioxidants work together to neutralize free radicals, which can travel through the body and cause damage to cells (they contribute to: cholesterol build up in arteries that lead to heard disease, the nerve damage in diabetes, the cloudy lenses of cataracts, the joint damage in osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, and the tightening airways of asthma). The antioxidant free radical destroyers found in bell peppers may help prevent or reduce the symptoms of these conditions by shutting down the source of the problem.

Mushroom: Mushrooms are a good vegetarian source of protein and contain copper, iodine, manganese, potassium, selenium, and zinc. They have stimulant properties and can help strengthen the immune system. For the past 20 years, the phytonutrients found in mushrooms have been the object of anti-cancer research. They have been shown to help regulate the amount of estrogen circulating in the body, and thus protect against breast cancer.

Canned Crushed Tomato: Tomatoes are packed with a number of great things, but I'll concentrate on one here - lycopene. Lycopene helps protect cells and other structures in the body from oxygen damage and has been linked to the protection of DNA inside white blood cells - amazing stuff. Canned tomatoes have an even greater concentration of lycopene than their fresh counterparts due to the processing method. Carotenoids like lycopene are fat-soluble, so pair tomatoes with olive oil, avocado, or nuts to aid in absorption in the body. Commercial tomatoes are sometimes grown to quickly or genetically modified, so it's definitely worth seeking out organically produced tomatoes for their greater nutritional benefits - this holds true for items made from tomatoes as well: organic ketchup has been shown to contain 3x the lycopene content of that made from commercially grown tomatoes!

Rainbow Chard: whfoods.org calls chard the "vegetable valedictorian" due to its impressive list of health promoting nutrients. Chard is high in vitamins A, C, and K, magnesium, manganese, potassium, iron, and a host of other vitamins and minerals. The combination of traditional nutrients, phytonutrients, and dietary fiber have been shown to aid in the prevention of digestive tract cancers, such as colon cancer. Bonus - you get all of these health benefits in relatively few calories (35 calories per cup).

Kalamata Olive: The Complete Guide to Nutritional Health touts the olive as a superfood. They are packed with vitamins A and E, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, manganese, antioxidants, oleic and linoleic acid. Olives and olive oil are a staple of the Mediterranean diet; those who follow it have a low incidence of cardiovascular disease compared to those who eat a high proportion of animal fat in their diet. Why? Studies have shown that the high oleic acid content in olives and their oil helps regulate the balance between high-density lipoprotein ("good" cholesterol) and low-density lipoprotein ("bad" cholesterol) in the blood, which prevents fatty deposits in the arteries and reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease.

On to the recipe! Here's what I did:

Slow Cooked Veggie Packed Tomato Sauce

Makes about 4 cups

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1 yellow onion, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 red pepper, finely chopped

1 handful of mushrooms, chopped

1 tsp. dried oregano

1 tsp. dried basil

1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

1/4 tsp. sea salt

1 28-oz. can crushed organic tomatoes

1/2 tsp. honey or agave nectar

1 bunch chard, destemmed and chopped into thin strips

1 handful kalamata olives, pitted and sliced in half

Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add onions and garlic. Cook until fragrant and soft, 3-4 minutes. Add red pepper and cook an additional 3 minutes. Add mushrooms and spices. Stir and cook 2 minutes. Add tomatoes, honey, and 1/2 c. water.

Reduce heat to medium low. Simmer 30 minutes, stirring occasionally (adjust the heat lower if it begins to bubble too rapidly, and add more water if the sauce begins to look too dry).

Add chard to top of sauce (don't mix in) and cover pan. Allow chard to steam for 10 minutes, until bright green. Uncover and mix chard into sauce. Increase heat to medium. Add kalamata olives. Cook an additional 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Serve with your favorite pasta.

One year ago: butternut squash mac & cheese

pineapple fried rice

I've always loved fried rice. The version at the Chinese restaurant local to where I grew up included barbequed pork that tinted all of the rice pink. In college, I used to make it with tiny frozen shrimp, frozen green peas, and the fried rice seasoning packet that you would find in the grocery along with the packets for gravy and fajita seasoning. Though my tastes have moved on from barbequed pork and mystery seasoning that comes in a packet, my affinity for fried rice continues.

This one is filled with fresh ingredients that rivals the takeout we get from the Thai restaurant in our neighborhood. Bonus - it only takes a single pan (or wok) for easy clean up. Once the rice is cooked, the rest of the meal comes together in under 20 minutes. Healthy and efficient!

Pineapple Fried Rice

Serves 4

3 cloves garlic, mined

1 Tbsp. ginger, minced

1/2 tsp. Chinese chili paste

1 small yellow onion, diced

2 scallions sliced (including greens)

1 bell pepper (I had tiny ones from the CSA box, so I used 3: red, green, and orange)

4 oz. tofu, cubed (I used sesame baked tofu)

3 c. brown rice, cooked

8 oz. pineapple chunks

Heat oil in a large wok over medium-high heat. Add garlic, ginger, and chili paste. Stir fry 1 minute. Add onions, bell pepper, and tofu and cook about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add rice and pineapple and cook until heated through. Top with additional scallions, if desired.

We enjoyed our fried rice along with veggie spring rolls.

veggie fajitas

Summer has been busy lately! My recent travels and activities are definitely resulting in a reduction in posts. I'm expecting that will continue for awhile, but will continue to cook and write about it as time permits. 

I made this dish a couple of weeks ago and it's been sitting in my "to post" pile since. It commemorated my first time using queso fresco ("fresh cheese"), a white cheese that originated in Spain and after spreading to Mexico, became common in Mexican cuisine. I found it to be similar to feta in taste, but a little softer and less crumbly in texture. Along with cilantro, it was the perfect topic to the veggie fajitas made with fresh zucchini and peppers from the CSA box. Here's what I did:

Veggie Fajitas

Serves 2

1 small red onion, sliced into thin strips

1 zucchini, sliced and then slices halved

2 red, orange, or yellow bell peppers, cored and sliced

2 Tbsp. of your favorite salsa

1 15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed

2 Tbsp. cilantro, chopped

queso fresco

4 whole wheat tortillas

Heat 2 Tbsp. olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add onion and cook and stir occasionally while chopping the other vegetables, adding them to the pan as they are chopped. Cook and stir until vegetables are crisp tender. Add cilantro, salsa, and black beans. Continue to cook until mixture is heated through. 

Heat tortillas if desired. Fill each with 1/4 of the bean/veggie mixture. Roll into burritos. Top with cilantro and queso fresco.

I served the veggie fajitas together with avocado salad. Delish!

black bean vegetable chili

While in my cooking frenzy after having returned from vacation last weekend, I decided I needed to have a pot of something cooking on Sunday. After a scan through the pantry, I chose black beans. There were also some random vegetables leftover from the prior week's CSA delivery that were still good, but a little past their prime. What better way to mask that than in chili? Here's what I did:

Black Bean Vegetable Chili

Serves 4-6

16 oz. bag black beans

1 yellow onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

4 pattypan squash (or 2 normal squash), chopped

2 bell or 4 gypsy peppers, deseeded and chopped

1 Tbsp. cumin

3 Tbsp. chili powder (I used chili pasilla)

14.5 oz. canned diced tomatoes

1-1/2 c. corn kernels, cooked*

*I used 3 fresh ears of corn from the CSA box. To cook, husk then place in microwave safe dish with 2 Tbsp. water. Cover with lid and microwave 5 minutes. Wait until cooled, then slice kernels from cobb.

Soak beans overnight. Rinse well. Add beans and 6 cups water to a large pot, cover, and simmer 1-2 hours, until beans are tender. Cook onions and garlic in olive oil until translucent. Add squash and pepper. Cook until crisp tender. Add spices and mix well. Remove from heat.

Once beans are tender, add squash mixture, tomatoes, and corn. Continue to cook for 30 minutes uncovered, stirring occasionally, and adding more spices to taste.

Serve with warm cornbread topped with grated cheese and chopped tomatoes, if desired.

veggie veggie enchiladas

I made these enchiladas last week. Seeing the picture makes me wish that I had a serving right now! (It must be time to make dinner...) They are so tasty, you won't even notice that they are vegan. That's right - an enchilada without cheese. Or sour cream. I honestly didn't miss the dairy one bit. Here's what I did:

Veggie Veggie Enchiladas

Serves 4

olive oil

1 red onion

1 red bell pepper

1 medium yellow squash

1 medium zucchini

1 Tbsp. lime juice

2 tsp. cumin

15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained

20 oz. of your favorite homemade or prepared enchilada sauce

10-12 small corn tortillas

1/4 c. cilantro, chopped

1/2 avocado, sliced

Dice onion, squash, zucchini, and pepper into smallish pieces. Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add onion and cook and stir until translucent. Add the pepper and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes. Add the squash and zucchini. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until veggies are tender. Add beans, lime juice, and cumin. Stir until well mixed. Turn off heat.

Spread a couple of spoonfuls of sauce in the bottom of a glass baking pan. One at a time, fill each corn tortilla with the veggie/bean mixture, wrap into an enchilada, and place into pan. When pan is full, cover with sauce. 

Cover with foil and bake in 375 degree oven for 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake for 10 minutes longer for crispy edges. Top individual portions with chopped cilantro and avocado slices.

sesame sugar snap pea salad

Crunchy. Garlicky. Gingery. Yum. Here's how it goes:

Sesame Sugar Snap Pea Salad

Serves 2 as a side

2 handfuls of sugar snap peas, trimmed

1/2 red, orange, or yellow bell pepper, chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

1 tsp. fresh ginger, minced

1 tsp. tamari

1 tsp. toasted sesame oil

1 tsp. honey

1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

sesame seeds

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and mix well. Allow to marinate in fridge 30 minutes to an hour (or longer!) to allow flavors to meld. Enjoy!

polenta stuffed peppers

If you've been following this blog for any amount of time, you may have noticed a pattern: when I find a new basic that I like, I try out lots of different variations. This happened with frittatas. Then again with risotto. And yes, now I'm on a stuffed pepper kick!

On the train on my way home from work the other day, I was going through the contents of my kitchen in my head. We'd received the weekly CSA delivery the day before, so there were fresh gypsy peppers on hand that would definitely need to be involved in the evening's meal. Ever since I made the rice stuffed peppers last week, I'd been thinking about other potential fillings. One that kept coming to mind was polenta. So I started thinking about what would go well with peppers and polenta... Once my mind landed on black beans, I knew that was the direction I would take my next attempt at stuffed peppers.

Next, I started thinking about sauces. I wanted some spice. And maybe a little smokiness. There's an enchilada-like sauce in one of my cookbooks - it's intended in the recipe to be a roasting sauce for fall vegetables. But I thought a variation of it would be pretty tasty over my soon to be stuffed peppers, so on my walk from the train home, I popped into the grocery to pick up canned chipotle in adobo sauce (the secret ingredient!).

I could taste the peppers at this point, and was super exited to see if they would turn out as good as I imagined. As I was prepping the ingredients, I made a last minute decision to slice the peppers horizontally (rather than cut the top off and actually stuff them; since I didn't actually mix the stuffing ingredients together, this was my way of ensuring you get a good mix of flavor in every bite). I guess that means really these should be called filled peppers, but you get the idea. Here's what I did:

Polenta Stuffed Peppers

Serves 2

4 gypsy peppers (or 2 bell peppers), halved lengthwise and de-seeded

1/2 c. dry polenta (corn grits)

15 oz. diced tomatoes

1/2 cup cilantro

1 1/2 Tbsp. canned chipotle in adobo sauce

1 tsp. lime juice

15 oz. canned black beans, drained and rinsed

3 oz. firm tofu, chopped into small pieces (optional)

Make the sauce by pureeing tomatoes, cilantro, chipotle/adobo, and lime juice in a food processor until smooth.

Bring 1 1/2 cups water to boiling in a medium pot. Add polenta, mix, and turn the heat to low. Cook, stirring occasionally until mixture thickens.

Spread a couple spoonfuls of sauce in a baking dish and spread to cover. Place the peppers, cut side up, into the dish. Fill each half with polenta. Spoon black beans and tofu (if using) over each pepper, then top each with a generous spoonful (or more!) of sauce.

Bake 30 minutes in a 350 degree oven.

The peppers turned out just as tasty as I imagined! There will likely be more stuffed/filled pepper recipes to come if they keep arriving in the CSA delivery. I'm thinking perhaps my next version will feature a Greek twist...

vegetarian stuffed peppers

Eight beautiful light green gypsy peppers arrived last week in the CSA box. Gypsy peppers are similar to a bell pepper, but are smaller,  sweeter, and more delicate (thinner walls). The fresh produce from the CSA box was exuding welcome healthiness - after spending a week on vacation eating nearly every meal at a restaurant, I was ready for a serious dose of healthy food. Stuffed peppers sounded like they would do the trick. 

I did a quick search online, but was disappointed to find most stuffed pepper recipes were either meaty or involved raisins, which just sounded weird to me. So I came up with my own version. I knew it would involve rice (I thought my favorite purple jasmine rice would look really cool in the light green peppers). My criterion for the other ingredients was: would I put it in marinara sauce? If the answer was yes (and I had it on hand), it went into the stuffing. I think the peppers turned out really tasty - I'm already planning to make these again with the gypsy peppers that are scheduled to come in this week's produce box. Here's how it goes:

Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers

Serves 2

4 medium bell peppers or 8 gypsy peppers

olive oil

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 c. rice, cooked

6 oz. tomato paste

1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar

a splash of balsamic vinegar

about 1 Tbsp. fresh oregano, chopped

about 2 Tbsp. fresh basil, chopped

freshly ground black pepper

Remove the tops and insides of the peppers to prepare them to be filled.

Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic. Cook until translucent, about 4 minutes. 

Combine onion and garlic with remaining ingredients in a medium bowl. Stir well to mix. Spoon the filling into the peppers, sealing each with their top and placing in a baking dish.

Bake 30 minutes at 350 degrees. 

Add a side salad to these peppers, and you have yourself a meal. If this recipe leaves you craving protein, you could add kidney beans, garbanzo beans, or tofu to the filling. I'll likely include kidney beans in my next iteration this week. My mouth is already watering!